Smart Pots

[Suby]

I'm still trying to find a supplier for a small amount but I'm calling that Oregaon Place this afternoon and checking it out.

I like that it's rigid, I move my girld daily and I'm less than carefull whilst vaping my daily dose lol.

I'm actually excitied about these, I'll order the first few and see if I can MacGuiver something DIY like you my good man.

Suby

 

[Clackamas Coot]

I can already now say that the cloth is a definate drawback.

They're so damn unstable.

There are a lot of good reasons to go with the Air-Pot over the SmartPot, the protection that it provides the root ball as Suby pointed out is the major one.

But stability is not an issue with the SmartPot product given the way that it's sewn along the bottom edge. Based on my own experience with these pots as well as seeing them in commercial applications with nursery stock growers around here, they are far more stable than regular plastic nursery pots that we've all seen and used for years and years.

Price is another consideration in comparing the 2 products. Especially with the supplier that MoleMcHenry linked to.

So if money isn't an issue then the Air-Pot is a far better product. A bit challenging to source but it's not impossible as Suby, et al. have found. The guy in Oregon is a very honest nurseryman and would definitely be a good source of information.

SmartPots are far less expensive but they have their drawbacks. Air-Pot has many features which are better like the way that they un-snap from the root-ball leaving it intact and perfect.

One thing for sure is that growing in the Air-Pot sure would be a great way to get plants ready for outdoors later in the spring.

HTH

CC

 

[Suby]

The beauty to me is that it works within an organic minf frame perfectly.
Less soil making better use of the same rootmass without multiple transplants.
It seems like multiple transplants wouldn't be necessary , maybe from a 1 gallon straight to a 5gal.
Even the fact that the prodcut is made of recycled plastic is a nice touch.
After looking at them I'm thinking I will waste more material in trying to replicate one as opposed to the fuel it takes to ship these around , i think I'll just order a bunch lol.

Do you guys ever get the urge to open an organic grow shop lol ?

S

 

[Clackamas Coot]

Do you guys ever get the urge to open an organic grow shop lol ?

S

Suby

In a real way I/we do just that for medical patients. I/we buy Sunshine Mix(es) and basically do the same recipe as Burn1 has posted here on various threads. We do add things like glacial rock dust, humic soil enhancers (a company out of Utah), and a basic all-purpose fertilizer which is usually a Down-To-Earth mix. Usual stuff you'd expect to find in a quality fertilizer. This makes it possible for the medical grower to simply water their plants. In some cases that has to be automated for patients in wheel-chairs or are in worse condition.

I/we then distribute the soil mixes to patients and help them with transplanting, getting the drip system set-up, etc. We charge only for our out of pocket expenses and a small charge for gasoline here & there.

The reason for all of this is that many, many medical patients have limited physical movement issues so that tinkering around with their medicinal plants isn't in the cards. They need something that is 'easy in & easy out' and at a low cost. Most of these patients have been abandoned by their medical insurance carriers, they're bankrupt - they don't have the money to spend on something that may or may not work. Using mixes like Burn1 has posted in conjunction with the SmartPots and with the teas that several of us brew and deliver to maximize their grow rooms help in this process.

I/we push hard to get new growers to use the SmartPot product not because it's the absolute best - it's not. But what it can provide at a very affordable cost to the grower is the ability to maximize their plant's potential when coupled with solid organic growing methods. Low cost coupled with maximum yields is a win-win deal for everyone who is involved in trying to help patients become self-sufficient.

Organic growing process are important for many medical growers basically because they're dying. Getting their medicine as pure as possible out of their little grow rooms is an important issue. Keep in mind that the majority of medical growers in Oregon are growing with 400 watt lights in the corner of an apartment bedroom. They've already lost their homes due to medical bills.

Sad deal all the way around.

 

[WV Rastafari]

Pretty cool, but what would you use for seedlings/clones?

The smallest size is 3 gallons, and that's about as large as I can use in my cab..

I found these reusable seed starter pots at Lee Valley that look great for clones or seedlings and work on the same principle as the Smartpots or Airpots.

http://www.leevalley.com/garden/page.aspx?c=2&p=10559&cat=2,44713,40757&ap=1

I ordered two sets.

Peace

 

[Suby]

CC that's fucking depressing

And here I am weekly bitching and moaning about the canadian healthcare system but at least we have health insurance...peeps are still dying waiting for treatment sometimes but there are still private sectors for the money havers...

I think your doing a noble thing but from your posts you come off as that type of guy, down to earth and kind hearted

I have 2 med patients I do canna pills for, it frustrates me that our herb is not free it has helped so many peeps I care for in just a short time.

I didn't get a hold of the guy yesterday but I'm sure I'll get a hold of him tday.

Peace

S

 

[swampdank]

yeah man. our healthcare system is geared towerds making as much money as possible. you wanna know another sad thing, if you do have insurance, they will try as hard as possible to disqualify you for benefits. watch Sicko, the movie from michael moore. very sad.

on a more positive note, the smart pots do look like a decent investment IF we can find a distibutor that ships worldwide and has decent prices. lemme go back and check the links you guys posted, i bet somebody has already found us such a place.

 

[Clackamas Coot]

RE: Air-Pots

Late last evening I picked up 10 used Air-Pots from a fellow nurseryman. I bought 5 ea of the #5 size (approximately) and #7 size and these were used in a 'real world growing' environment.

This gentleman's nursery grows esoteric varieties of myrtle trees that are eventually shipped across the country. The cuttings are rooted in a greenhouse environment and then transplanted into their final pot. The reason that he is selling these Air-Pots is that he decided to go with a larger size to grow larger trees more quickly because larger trees = much more money for the grower.

After a few months in the greenhouse the trees are moved outside where they remain until they're ready for shipping which is about 15-18 months - pretty standard stuff.

The build quality on these products is extraordinary. There's absolutely nothing to criticize about them. The used units I picked up did not show any sign of distress from cold and hot weather, i.e. no cracking, no brittle edges.

Since this gentleman is an old school nurseryman and thinks that not using chemical fertilizers is a formula for disaster, there is a bit of residue from the watering run-off. I'm going to load them up in the pick-up and take them to a 'do-it-yourself' car wash and clean them up.

Great product! You couldn't ask for a more hi-tech growing system that's for sure. Well worth the money.

CC

 

[Cali smoke]

congrats clackamas, plz let us know how they work out for ya.

 

[Clackamas Coot]

congrats clackamas, plz let us know how they work out for ya.

Cali smoke

Thanks!

My wife is thrilled about me getting more growing toys. We're in the middle of getting ready to plant around 1,100 plants up and running for wholesale.

My wife got the contract from a large nursery and these plants are a shrub from China that they're wanting to promote. A grow this size is too labor intensive for them so small growers like us get in on some good contracts as long as you have a good reputation of growing healthy plants that can stand-up to shipping and short-term storage.

But, first things first! I gotta get some soil into these Air-Pots and see what's up! Priorities and all.

LOL

CC

 

[ixnay007]

I found these reusable seed starter pots at Lee Valley that look great for clones or seedlings and work on the same principle as the Smartpots or Airpots.

http://www.leevalley.com/garden/page.aspx?c=2&p=10559&cat=2,44713,40757&ap=1

I ordered two sets.

Peace

Cool, thanks for the link!

Now I just gotta find a european distributor

 

[ixnay007]

http://www.fertilpot.com/

These guys claim to have a fully biological pot that air prunes...

http://www.biogrow.co.nz/about-fertilpots.php (some info in english)

 

[ixnay007]

Actually, there are more than a few who claim this...

http://www.dotpot.net/wholesale.php

Interesting concept, obviously not reusable, but if you're looking to stress plants as litle as possible, there'd be no need to even remove the pot before transplanting.

 

[Suby]

I`ve called both places listed on the Superoots website, the first in Oregon is out of stock until fall

The place in Florida is e-mailing me what they have in stock and the prices in US$ but it seems they have stock, i mentioned it was for about 12 total in different size and they didn`t mention a minimum.

I am actually excited about these, the rep was saying it`s excellent for any plant with a vigorous root system that loves air to the roots....

Sound like a plant we know lol??

S

 

[Clackamas Coot]

I`ve called both places listed on the Superoots website, the first in Oregon is out of stock until fall

S

If a manufacturer based in Europe is relying on a single company down in Florida and a medium-sized nurseryman in Oregon as their North American distribution network, it's probably safe to say that they have better engineers and product development staff than market penetration and distribution specialists on board.

 

[jrw]

Nice Suby,

I contacted the Dutch and the Norwegian reseller, but they both forwarded my mail directly to The Caledonian Tree Company in Scotland.

Haven't heard from them

Btw, check this:
First day above soil in my home made 0,3 liter doubblesided side and bottom cloth starter pot

Strain is called Mirre, by Karma Genetics, SAGE x Jack Herrer #22

 

[Suby]

If a manufacturer based in Europe is relying on a single company down in Florida and a medium-sized nurseryman in Oregon as their North American distribution network, it's probably safe to say that they have better engineers and product development staff than market penetration and distribution specialists on board.

It's a shame really, I'm sure most grow stores would flip to be able to sell something like this.

Always the same thing...no stock.

I get the feeling that they can't float the inventory cash, things are tough all over.

S

 

[Clackamas Coot]

The Oregon Association of Nurseries (trade organization) publishes a monthly magazine called Digger

In the March, 2008 issue there appeared an article about auto-pruning pots and they field tested 10 or so varieties. They do provide these articles at their web site but the last update was January, 2008 issue.

I called the publisher and he sent me a copy of the article with all of the charts, graphs, etc. The file is in PDF format is a whopping 6.8 meg file.

I'm going to try and reduce it by removing the advertising and images not associated with the article and get it posted for your reading and study.

Interesting results to say the least. These test were done scientifically so the data should be of good use to everyone.

CC

 

[jrw]

Bring it asap, Mr Coot.

I'm seeing real pretty root tips just barely peeking out through the sides of my home made cloth pot, so I have some idea about the results.

Can't wait to see it

 

[Guest]

http://www.canby.com/benwalker/SuperiorContainers.htm

wonder if he's out of stock

-the only thing im wondering is if big and chunky perlite is still useful in the smaller pots.